How to train your cat

Most pet owners will know that training is essential to ensuring their canine companions behave appropriately in the home, but not everyone is aware that their feline counterparts can be taught a few tricks too.

Whether it's tapping a bell to let you know they want to come in or realising that they can't try out their claws on the leather sofas, it is possible to teach moggies what they should and shouldn't be doing.

You don't have look any further than the fact that cats can be toilet trained to realise the benefits of instilling good behavioural tendencies in them, and there are numerous techniques that we can use to do so.

A great lesson to teach your furry friend is the appropriate way for them to attract your attention when they want to be let into the house, and this can be done by attaching a small bell to the outside of the door that hangs at your moggy's eye level.

If you ignore any scratching, mewing and other attempts to get your attention, your cat will eventually learn that making the bell ring is the most effective method for them to get their way.

Not only will this stop them from clawing away at the door, but it will reduce the risk that you leave your moggy out in the cold because you haven't realised they're waiting to be let in.

It's also a good idea to help your cat learn to associate certain behaviours with treats. For example, if they get down from the window ledge or table when you tell them to, reward them with a tasty snack.

And if you're struggling to toilet train your furry friend, placing them in the litter tray two or three times each day and treating them if they do their business is another tried and tested method.

Lastly, it's important that moggies know the difference between human meals and cat food, so don't feed them with meaty snacks off your plate otherwise they'll keep coming back for more.